Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Key Minister Nikol Pashinyan – the latter not too long ago installed as Armenia’s chief adhering to nationwide protests – experienced their to start with bilateral assembly in Sochi on Monday on the sidelines of the Eurasian Financial Union summit.

The summary of the exchanges between the two leaders supplied by the Kremlin’s internet site shows that Putin took the opportunity to remind Pashinyan of Russia’s economic value to Armenia, although Pashinyan for his element thanked Putin for Russia’s neutral placement in the course of the protests, and reaffirmed Armenia’s continued friendship with Russia.

Pashinyan exclusively reaffirmed Armenia’s ongoing membership of the Russian led Eurasian Economic Union, and spoke of deepening Armenia’s military services ties with Russia.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Key Minister, colleagues,

I would like to welcome you to Russia and to congratulate you the moment again, this time in person, on your election to the high placement of Prime Minister of Armenia.

First of all, I would like to say that we perspective Armenia, as everyone is aware, as our closest husband or wife and ally in the region. I am referring to both economic and security cooperation.

As you know, Russia is a leading trade and economic associate of Armenia. Its share is believed at over 25 per cent. Russia’s expense accounts for approximately 35 per cent of all foreign financial commitment in Armenia. Our trade has developed lately, also by some 25 %. Armenian agricultural deliveries to Russia are escalating at a fast speed, or more specifically, by 38 per cent around the past few months.

Overall, this is very fantastic development and I hope that we will not just sustain but also improve it.

I would like to wish you every single achievement on the post of the Prime Minister of Armenia. I hope that our relations will continue on to develop continuously, just as they did prior to, and that we will keep on to work jointly on the international stage as well as at international organisations, starting off from the UN, exactly where Armenia and Russia have normally supported every single other, and ending with regional organisations, the two in security and economic growth issues.

It is quite gratifying that, just a few days right after I was elected Prime Minister of Armenia, I have this prospect to have a meeting with you, simply because I think that we have items to discuss.

There is also a thing that does not want to be discussed: the allied strategic relations among Armenia and Russia. In general, I can guarantee you that there is consensus on this subject in Armenia, and nobody has ever questioned the strategic importance of Armenian-Russian relations, or ever will.

We are fairly set on giving a fresh impetus to our relations – each in the political and trade and economic perception. We hope to develop our relations in the military complex sector as well as in other industries.

Several persons from Russia stop by Armenia, which is really great. I think Russians like Armenia really a great deal, and Armenians also delight in acquiring so numerous visitors in Yerevan.

I would like to say that we extremely enjoy the balanced position that Russia held in the course of our domestic political disaster, and I think it was a very constructive position it is very appreciated not only by our Governing administration, but also in Armenian modern society in general.

The moment again, remember to acknowledge my best needs on Victory Working day. It was quite attention-grabbing to watch the May 9 parade on Red Sq.. It is preferred in Armenia and we are incredibly impressed by the achievements that the Russian defence business has manufactured.

Thank you once yet again for this prospect.

Pashinyan’s pledges of ongoing friendship to Russia will be judged cynically by a lot of men and women, such as by my colleague in The Duran Frank Sellers, who see them as almost nothing much more than a unit by Pashinyan to perform for time whilst he sets about chopping back again Armenia’s connections to Russia.

A lot of see hope in the point that he programs to attend the Eurasian Financial Union summit future thirty day period and to meet up with with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, collectively with the simple fact that he admits that Armenia wants Russia as a military ally, but provided his lifestyle story and participation in the functions recorded in this article, there appears to be small true hope of that.

Is this a Western backed coloration revolution? It is actually hard to forged doubt on that truth, specified his connections with Soros funded NGOs who have as their goal the remaking of Armenia into a NATO member condition which appears somewhat much less than fondly at Russia as the originator of Armenia’s woes.

With a notion that prosperity will certainly be the Armenian inheritance of an integration into the Western political and economic bloc, which notion comes from any place but reality. It seriously cannot be doubted that this movement, led by a man with a historical past of hostility in the direction of Russia and a very long background of doing work in the interests of the US and its NGOs, is a little something that was hatched in Washington and sent via the CIA’s vicarious operatives, the Open up Culture Basis and its ilk.

Of training course, he appreciates that he can not be so bold as to right away cut off ties with the Russians this early in the match, as Armenia is just way too dependent on Russia to make any genuine improvements to Armenia’s international policy at this time, but that this represents his lengthy term objective stays a issue to be found.

I choose the diametrically reverse look at. I feel that whatever Pashinyan may well have stated in the past his pledges of continued friendship with Russia and of Armenia’s adhesion to the Eurasian Financial Union are authentic.

Immediately after all, as Pashinyan himself mentioned around the course of his conference with Putin,

…….there is consensus on this make any difference in Armenia, and nobody has at any time questioned the strategic significance of Armenian-Russian relations, or ever will…..

Presented Armenia’s financial and geographic realities, and the rapid military establish up in Azerbaijan, Armenia has no true selection, even if the Armenian people today preferred such a selection, of which there is no authentic sign that they do.

Armenia’s relations with Russia were not an concern in the latest protests, which at no stage took on an anti-Russian character.

As I have pointed out previously, that is in overall contrast to the Maidan protests in Ukraine of 2013 and 2014, in which passionate hostility to Russia was the principal driving aspect. That in itself is a major place of change between the two sets of protests: the modern protests in Armenia and the Maidan protests in Ukraine.

I keep on being of the watch that the Armenian protests were being a strictly inner affair, provoked by the steps of the previous Sargsyan federal government, and have no geopolitical significance.

Additionally the very truth that – as Pashinyan claims – there is “consensus” within Armenia about the worth of Armenia’s relations with Russia in itself places restrictions on what Pashinyan can do, even if he truly does find to sever Armenia’s relations with Russia, which of program he denies.

Past but not least, there is the actuality that even Western oriented commercially minded Armenians – and all Armenians, at minimum in their possess estimation, are to an extent commercially minded – can see for by themselves the large industrial and financial positive aspects to them individually and for Armenia of Armenia retaining accessibility to the large Russian sector as a result of its membership of the Eurasian Financial Union.

By distinction it is unattainable to see a great financial foreseeable future for Armenia – or in fact (given the geopolitical realities) any true potential for Armenia – if it severs its backlinks to Russia.

For all these motives, as opposed to Frank Sellers, I believe that when Pashinyan says he would like to manage or even boost Armenia’s relations with Russia, he implies what he states.

He would be a idiot if he didn’t, and regardless of what else he is, Pashinyan doesn’t appear to be to me to be a fool.

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